Dan Dan Noodles

I recently discovered called Chez Jorge that features vegan (and often Chinese) recipe, and made these dan dan noodles. But this isn't just a great vegan noodle dish...it's a great noodle dish, period. As he says on the site, it may be the best thing you've ever slurped. I may have made this for two meals in a row.

I've adapted his recipe by eliminating the minced "pork" component. I also am posting only the simplified version of the spicy sauce that he features on his recipe video. Make sure to include some blanched vegetables such as bok choi, or even raw cucumber matchsticks, which adds a cooling contrast to the spicy noodles. Don't forget to save some of the noodle cooking water.

Ingredients

• 150-180 grams Chinese wheat noodles or ramen noodles
• 4 tablespoons neutral oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoons red chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1-2 teaspoons ground Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons black vinegar
• 1.5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (or sesame paste)

Instructions

1. Make the Spicy Sauce. Heat up oil and pour it over minced garlic, red chili flakes, sesame seeds, and ground Sichuan pepper. Then finish with soy sauce, dark brown sugar, black vinegar, and peanut butter. Stir to combine. Try not to eat it by the spoonful.
2. Prepare Toppings. Blanch the bok choy in lightly-salted boiling water for around 45 seconds. Other great toppings are crushed peanuts, thinly chopped scallions, etc.
3. Assemble the Bowl. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Strain the noodles and reserve some cooking water. For each bowl, first add the noodles. Top the noodles with about 1/4 cup of its cooking water (still warm), followed by 4-5 tablespoons of spicy sauce, and any toppings. Lightly toss to emulsify. Enjoy immediately.

Serves 1.